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Costa Rica News

02 Feb 2024

ICS Publishes Flag State Performance Table

© Paulrommer / Adobe Stock

A new table published by the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) indicates continuing positive performance by the vast majority of the maritime industry's flag states.Merchant ships are required to register under a flag state, which determines the vessel's nationality and gives jurisdiction under which to operate. Flag states have the authority and responsibility to enforce regulations over vessels registered under their flag, including those relating to inspection, certification…

25 Aug 2023

Volvo Penta Expands Marine Services in Central America

(Image: Volvo Penta)

Volvo Penta announced it has entered into a new partnership with SVF Panama, part of the SVF Group, to support its customers with marine services in Panama and Costa Rica.In recent years, Volvo Penta has steadily expanded its service and support network, partnering with companies that specialize in marine operations to provide technical support, field service, maintenance operations and parts supply for its customer base across the marine leisure and commercial sectors.“SVF is an ideal partner for Volvo Penta…

23 Jun 2023

After Titanic Sub Disaster, Industry Faces Scrutiny

(Photo: OceanGate Expeditions)

The first fatal accident aboard a deep-sea tourist submersible is certain to raise calls for additional safety regulations, but industry experts say any new measures may be impossible to enforce given the international nature of the business.Moreover, they say the tragedy of the Titan submersible that imploded during its expedition to the wreckage of the Titanic was an outlier, given that the maker of the vessel opted against certifying the vessel, defying industry convention.All five people aboard the Titan…

08 Jun 2023

America's Sea Services Building Large Fleet of Small Ships and Craft

U.S. Navy Sailors aboard the amphibious dock landing ship USS Ashland (LSD-48), moor a landing craft, utility during amphibious operations, off the coast of Okinawa, Japan, in March 2023. (Photo: Christopher R. Lape / U.S. Marine Corps)

Not every vessel in the U.S. Navy is built for major combat operations on the high seas. There are large numbers of boats and service craft that provide essential services to the sea services, the nation and its partners.The U.S. Navy procures about 100 small boats per year. Some of these boats are based on commercial designs, procured to a Navy developed specification that tailors the requirements to the end user needs. They are procured and managed by two Naval Sea Systems Command program offices—PMS 300 and PMS 325.Compared to warships and auxiliaries…

04 Apr 2023

Operation TIN CAN Targets Rip-On/Rip-Off Concealment

Source: Australian Border Force

A major joint operation organised by the Australian Border Force (ABF), World Customs Organization (WCO), the World Shipping Council and the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) has led to 43 arrests and more than 100 drug seizures, including 98,734 kilograms of cocaine and 314 kilograms of cannabis.58 countries were involved, and the ABF worked alongside officers from German Customs, United Kingdom Border Force, US Customs and Border Protection and the Dutch Customs Administration to deliver a series of coordinated strikes on organised crime.The operation…

24 Oct 2022

Svitzer Adds Three Newbuilds in the Americas

(Photo: Svitzer)

A.P. Moller-Maersk's towage arm Svitzer announced it will take delivery of two new ASD tugboats and one workboat in the Americas region.Based in Panama, Svitzer Americas provides harbor and terminal towage as its main market segments. With the three newbuilds, its fleet will reach 82 vessels operating in ports and terminals across 12 different countries in the Americas.Arjen van Dijk, Managing Director Svitzer Americas said, “I look forward to welcoming Svitzer Abaco, Svitzer Isabela and Svitzer Moín to the Svitzer Americas fleet.

10 Nov 2021

Countries Agree to Create Green Shipping Lanes in Pursuit of Zero Carbon

© Federico Rostagno / Adobe Stock

A coalition of 19 countries including Britain and the United States on Wednesday agreed to create zero emissions shipping trade routes between ports to speed up the decarbonization of the global maritime industry, officials involved said.Shipping, which transports about 90% of world trade, accounts for nearly 3% of the world's CO2 emissions.U.N. shipping agency the International Maritime Organization (IMO) has said it aims to reduce overall greenhouse gas emissions from ships by 50% from 2008 levels by 2050.

29 Oct 2021

SAAM Towage Inks Service Deal with Caterpillar Marine

(Photo: SAAM Towage)

SAAM Towage and Caterpillar Marine signed a global services agreement aiming to help boost the efficiency of the fleet of tugs operated by the Americas towage services provider. This will be accomplished using digital solutions for planned and preventative maintenance.According to SAAM’s Technical Manager, Pablo Cáceres, “This partnership will let us continue to focus on providing safe, efficient and more environmentally friendly services. It will also strengthen our digital transformation strategy.”The agreement calls for ongoing review of more than 200 Cat engines…

28 Oct 2021

UN Deep-sea Mining Rules Unlikely to be Completed by 2023 Deadline, Latam Countries Say

(Photo: NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and Research)

Regulations governing deep-sea mining will take longer to finalize due to the global pandemic, a group of Latin American countries said, creating uncertainty for companies looking to mine the sea bed for metals, including cobalt and nickel.The delayed negotiations also pose a potential difficulty for companies seeking financing from investors to mine the sea floor.The U.N.’s International Seabed Authority (ISA) is working on global rules covering sea bed mining, which is not allowed…

16 Jul 2021

Sailing Cargo Ship 'Ceiba' Comes to Life in the 'Jungle Shipyard'

Photo courtesy SailCargo Inc.

Danielle Doggett, founder and CEO of SailCargo, updates the project to build  Ceiba, a true sailing cargo ship taking shape in the jungles of Costa Rica.Danielle Doggett and her co-founders have been on a mission since 2014 to prove the viability of truly emission-free shipping courtesy of the construction of its $4.2m flagship Ceiba, a three masted sailing cargo vessel being built in Costa Rica.“The name Ceiba comes from a type of tree, also called the kapok or silk tree and it is recognized by the Mayan people as a spiritual tree that connects this world with the next…

09 Jun 2021

The Navy’s Big Fleet of Small Boats

The U.S. Navy’s Mark VI class patrol boat is designed to patrol riverine and littoral waters around the globe. (Photo: Nelson Doromal Jr / U.S. Navy)

The Navy is known for its big ships. It has a lot of smaller boats and craft, too—3,200 of them.The three primary stakeholders for these craft are the Surface Fleet, Commander Navy Installations Command and Navy Expeditionary Combat Command. Other stakeholders include Submarine Forces; Air Forces (which own the aircraft carriers); Naval Special Warfare; the Coast Guard; Naval Facilities Command and the Naval Warfare Centers.Boats and craft are procured and managed by Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) Program Executive Office for Ships (PEO Ships)…

12 Mar 2021

Rolls-Royce's Power Systems Profitable Despite 17% Revenue Plunge

Photo courtesy Rolls-Royce's Power Systems

Rolls-Royce's Power Systems division has ended the 2020 financial year with an underlying operating profit of $247.3 million despite suffering a 17% drop in underlying revenue to $3.8 billion. This corresponds to an underlying operating margin of 6.5% (2019: 11.5%). As a result, Power Systems, with its product and solutions brand mtu, remained in the black during the 2020 pandemic year.Power Systems is taking advantage of the crisis to prepare for a shift in its business model…

21 Dec 2020

Costa Rican Hybrid Sailboat Aims to Reduce Shipping's Carbon Footprint

(Photo: Sailcargo)

Some 200 workers from 27 nations are building a hybrid sailboat on the Pacific coast of Costa Rica designed to carry 350 tons of goods, hoping to demonstrate that in the 21st century it is possible to transport cargo without polluting the environment.Inspired by the historic Finnish trading schooner Ingrid of the Aland Islands, the firm Sailcargo Inc says it designed the vessel named Ceiba “to be the first of its kind in the world.” It will rely mostly on wind power with two auxiliary…

30 Nov 2020

Thulin Tapped to Drive Svitzer's Americas Ops Growth

Rutger Thulin, Managing Director for Terminal Towage Cluster, Svitzer Americas (image source: Svitzer)

With increasing opportunities in the terminal towage sector of the Americas region, Svitzer pursues these opportunities. To support this growth in selected countries and ports, Svitzer appointed Rutger Thulin as its new Managing Director for the Terminal Towage Cluster in Americas, spanning Svitzer's operations in Canada, Peru, Costa Rica, Statia, and the Bahamas.Thulin has been with Svitzer for seven years, and for the past four years, he has been Managing Director for Svitzer Brazil. He previously worked for 14 years with A.P. Moller-Maersk Group.

01 Jul 2020

Frank About the Future

Inchcape Shipping Services CEO Frank Olsen  (Photo: ISS)

Inchcape Shipping Services (ISS) CEO Frank Olsen opens up on the challenges of COVID-19, the benefits of a global network, and a fundamental shift in the established ships agency marketplace. Change, he says, is coming.“I haven’t spent this much time in Norway, without international travel, since I was at school,” laughs ISS CEO Frank Olsen over a call on Microsoft Teams.With a career that’s taken in seven years at sea, mostly on RoRos with Wallenius Wilhelmsen, living in Costa Rica (where he briefly captained a dive vessel)…

26 Jun 2020

Sustainable Shipping Gets New Berth

(Photo: Sailcargo)

Centuries-old maritime craftwork and advanced technology help carbon-free seaborne trade.It was a chance meeting that changed two lives. It may also change the way the world thinks about maritime shipping.An accomplished sailor, Danielle Doggett loves tall ships—the large wind-powered sailing vessels that carry passengers and cargo. Her fascination with the big ships started in her teens, sailing on the Canadian side of the Great Lakes and eventually on the St. Lawrence II, a 72-foot two-mast brigantine built in the 1950s for youth sail training.

09 Mar 2020

SAAM Towage Orders Tug Pair from UZMAR

(Photo: SAAM Towage)

SAAM Towage said it signed a contract with Turkish shipbuilder UZMAR Shipyards to begin building two new tugs that will provide services for a liquefied natural gas (LNG) project being developed by Energía del Pacífico (EDP) in El Salvador.The new RAstar 3200W azimuth tugs were designed by Canadian firm Robert Allan Ltd. and will be built in Turkey by UZMAR. They will measure 32 meters in beam, have a bollard pull of 75 tons and can reach a maximum speed of 12.5 knots. They will also have superior steering and breaking capacity for escort operations…

27 Nov 2019

Rolls-Royce Inks Tug Deal with Svitzer

Rolls-Royce has signed a 10-year service agreement with the global towage and marine services operator  Svitzer covering spare parts deliveries in six countries for a fleet of 17 tugs powered by MTU-brand Series 4000 engines.The agreement – named Global Frame Value Care Agreement (VCA) – covers spare parts deliveries in 6 countries.In VCA, the cost of maintenance services is being tied to the engine up-time. This is the first maintenance contract of its kind to be signed by Svitzer. The preventive maintenance arrangement preserves engine availability for Svitzer while contributing to optimal life-cycle costs.Danish founded towage company Svitzer currently operates 17 vessels with MTU Series 4000 units on board.

02 Dec 2019

Mega Box Ship on Maiden Call at APM Costa Rica

APM Terminals Moín made history when it welcomed the MSC Sara Elena, the largest container ship to ever berth in Costa Rica, measuring 300m long and a capacity of 8,000 TEUs.In 337 lifts, exports of key Costa Rican exports, included pineapples and bananas, were loaded onto the Sara Elena destined for Rotterdam, the Netherlands. The vessel was in port for just under nine hours, including the obligatory first call celebrations.This successful call once again validates the opportunity to serve Costa Rica’s economy with larger vessels. APM Terminals Moin has been consistently breaking its own gross moves per hour (GMPH) record, achieving GMPH of 28 in its first half year of operation.In this first phase…

27 Nov 2019

Training for L. American Maritime Leaders

A regional workshop organized by International Maritime Organization (IMO) has provided senior maritime administration officials in Latin America with the latest information on current and future developments at the Organization.The workshop for the regional maritime authorities networks, ROCRAM and ROCRAM-CA was held at IMO Headquarters in London (26 November) in the margin of the 31st IMO Assembly.The 28 participants received detailed information about the activities within the IMO's Integrated Technical Cooperation Program (ITCP) aimed at building capacity in the region to comply with international rules and standards related to maritime safety and the prevention of maritime pollution.Participants also heard from technical officers on issues such as the IMO Audits Scheme.

05 Mar 2020

MCT Completes 1st Year of Operations

The container port in the Limón province of Costa Rica, Terminal de Contenedores de Moín or Moín Container Terminal (MCT), operated by APM Terminals, completed its first year of operations on February 28.A press release from the international container terminal operating company headquartered in The Hague said that during the year the terminal serviced more than 1,100 ships, around 1.2 million TEUs and achieved important improvements in productivity, sustainability and the training of 1,000 employees from the province of Limón.“During this time, we’ve reached very important milestones, such as the opening of new direct trade routes, increased port efficiency…

26 Dec 2019

SAAM Towage to Enter El Salvador Market

Image Credit: SAAM

Latest move to Enter El Salvador with Energía del Pacífico will Reinforce SAAM Towage's Presence in Central America.The Managing Director of SAAM Towage, Felipe Rioja, celebrated the company’s upcoming launch in the new market: El Salvador. “We will provide services for the Energía del Pacífico (EDP) project at the Port of Acajutla, which reinforces our presence in Central America and our commitment to the region,” he commented.The long-term agreement with EDP calls for allocating three tugs, two of which are new, to power plant operations.

15 Dec 2019

APM's Moín Container Terminal Reaches 1MTEUs

APM Terminals, an international container terminal operating company, said that its Moín Container Terminal celebrated the movements of its 1 millionth TEU on 11 December 2019.This milestone, achieved in less than 10 months of operation, is particularly significant, as the next phase of the terminal will be built when an annual volume of 1.5 million TEUs is reached, said a press note. APM Terminals has a 30-year concession to operate the terminal.The millionth TEU was unloaded from a fully cellular container vessel and draped in commemorative tarpaulins to reflect this milestone in Costa Rican Caribbean history.During the operation,…